Now The Campaign Is Over John McCain’s Inability To Count All His Houses

I imagine this was inevitable. Obama is attacking John McCain for having so many homes that he can’t answer a question as to how many he owns.

“Somebody asked John McCain, ‘how many houses do you have?’ and he said, ‘I’m not sure, I’ll have to check with my staff,’” said Obama at a Thursday morning campaign stop. “True quote! ‘I’m not sure, I’ll have to check with my staff.’ So they asked his staff and he said, ‘at least four.’ ‘At least four.’

“Now think about that — I guess if you think that being rich means you gotta make five million dollars, and if you don’t know how many houses you have, then it’s not surprising that you might think the economy is fundamentally strong,” he continued. “But if you’re like me and you’ve got one house — or you were like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don’t lose their home — you might have a different perspective. …

He also said that there was a “fundamental gap of understanding” between McCain’s world and “what people are going thru every single day here in America.”

I don’t really care how rich John McCain is or how many homes he has, although an argument could certainly be made that this is relevant considering how John McCain’s tax plans are so heavily weighed in favor of the ultra-wealthy. I would prefer that Obama stick to the actual issues, but I also cannot blame him for attacking on this either. At least it is an honest representation of something McCain has said. In contrast, Obama has seen a loss of his lead in the polls following dishonest attacks from McCain and has come under criticism for not hitting McCain hard enough.

While this is not the type  of campaign I’d prefer to see, it was John McCain who decided to take the low road, and unfortunately such counterattacks probably will be more effective than a wonky talk about how McCain’s tax plans are so favorable towards the ultra-wealthy while Obama’s provide a bigger tax break to the vast majority of tax payers.

4 Comments

  1. 1
    Jerry says:

    Your comments about this are spot-on.  I, too, would rather not travel this low road.  Obama owns a million dollar mansion, and McCain’s camp has already hit back with this and the Rezko ties.  It’s not a clear win for Obama.  He could follow up this attack with a reminder that he wasn’t the son and grandson of an admiral, and that he didn’t leave one wife to marry into money.  Part of me want him to go there – the better part wants him to stay above the fray.

  2. 2
    Michael Markman says:

    It’s not simply how many homes Republican John McCain owns, it’s that he’s lost count. Pow! Zap!

  3. 3
    Ron Chusid says:

    The key thing is still about how many he has. The fact that he lost count just adds emphasis to how many he has. After all, most people own one house, or perhaps even own a second vacation home, and would have no difficulty answering the question. It takes quite a few to be uncertain as to the number.

  4. 4
    Jerry says:

    Hehe, I just thought of a way for McCain to win some votes.  Just say: “material things matter so little to me, they barely register.” I know a few people who would relate. Heck, with this explanation, he might even carry California!

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